By Susie Ling
By the early 1900s, there was a small Mexican-American community in Monrovia. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the Mexican-American population grew larger than Monrovia’s African-American community. Faced with racial discrimination and economic hardships, Mexican-Americans helped each other and formed a tight social network. Two of the leaders of this pioneering community were Lucinda Garcia and James Espinosa.
“My grandmother, Lucinda Valentine Garcia, was born on Valentine’s Day in 1880 in Pomona,” said Rosalind Olivas. Lucinda was the granddaughter of Ygnacio Palomares of Rancho San Jose. In fact, her bloodline goes back to Roque Jacinto de Cota (1724-1798), one of the Spanish soldiers that accompanied the original 44 pobladores, or settlers, that founded the pueblo of Los Angeles in 1781. Lucinda and her husband, Louis, came to Monrovia and built a compound on Almond Avenue for their nine children. The many descendants of the Garcias are still living on Almond Avenue and other parts of the community.
Lucinda had one of those souls that was about helping. Sylvia Cardiel said of her grandmother, “She was like the welcome wagon. She was very friendly and a real people person. My grandmother was here when the first Monrovia Parade got started. She was here when there were dirt roads and horses.” Sylvia continued, “She would feed gypsies and hobos off the train tracks. Everybody knew she had an open house.”
Lucinda was bilingual and understood equal rights. Dedicated in 1906, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was a tribute to Lewis Leonard Bradbury’s wife, Simona Martinez Bradbury (1845-1902) born in Rosario, Sinaloa. But when the church thought to segregate its Latino congregants, Lucinda and Louis Garcia said no.
In 2011, Monrovia renamed the park on Olive Avenue and Mayflower to “Lucinda Garcia Park.” NAACP leader Gwendolyn Jones said, “Lucinda Garcia stood up to the local Catholic church, expressing an end to segregation, as well as at theaters and other public places, where people of color were routinely segregated. She was an activist years before the Civil Rights Movement. Lucinda Valentine Garcia fed, clothed, taught, and housed, anyone appearing at her door step at 511 E. Almond Ave. She lived through the Great Depression, and her house saw many weary guests. She made no distinction as to race, creed or color, never turned anyone away. Lucinda truly loved Monrovia.”
Lucinda passed away on Dec. 19, 1958, at the age of seventy-eight and is at rest at Live Oak Cemetery. The park is a testimonial to Lucinda and all the Latinos who are part of Monrovia’s history and those who will make history.
James William Espinosa is another big heart in Monrovia’s rich Mexican-American history. “Dad was born at Lucky Baldwin’s ranch in 1904 and Mom, Lucille Guardado, was born in Duarte in 1909,” said Mary Lou Espinosa Sandoval. James’ mother was part of the Papago tribe of the Santa Barbara mission and his father was the foreman of the orange pickers for C. O. Banks, a packing house in Monrovia. Orphaned at 19, Jim took responsibility of his four younger siblings and continued to live in his parents’ property at 911 S. Magnolia. “We were lucky to get that permit as the house was in a completely White area,” said Mary Lou. The family owned the land prior to Monrovia establishing racial housing restrictions in the 1910.
Big Jim organized Mexican-Americans to pick citrus and other crops. Victor Guardado, Big Jim’s nephew said, “They had flatbed trucks and all the orange crates had to be hauled up and then tied down with chains. The dollies had iron tires, very very heavy. It was all manual labor.” Big Jim felt responsibility for his crew beyond working hours. Jim was regularly called by the Monrovia Police on weekends to help an intoxicated Mexican-American home. Mary Lou continued, “A while ago, I went to a funeral and fell into conversation with a lady I met for the first time. She remembered my father! She used to live in Duarte and there was a flood there in the southern barrio when she was just a tiny girl. But she remembers that my dad got his truck and brought all the flood-affected residents back to Monrovia. He did that all day long. He took them to the homes of their family members and friends where they would have shelter. When he came home, he was so tired and wet. My mother started crying. My father said, ‘I couldn’t come home and leave those people there.’ He was a special and caring man. He was an outgoing guy. He talked to everyone; he knew everyone.”
In the 1940s, Big Jim bought a truck to start hauling produce. He traded up to a Peterbilt and joined the Teamsters, originally a union for truck drivers. In the 1970s, Big Jim became “Grandpa Jim” to children playing sports in Monrovia. He was always out there for them. Big Jim died in 1981 in Monrovia.
There were and are other community stalwarts. The Mexican-Americans in Monrovia were a tight network of neighbors and family who worked, played, and lived together. They looked after each other.
On Sunday, October 4th, 2 pm at Monrovia’s Historical Museum, there will be a PowerPoint lecture entitled “Recuerdos de Monrovia” on the history and legacy of Monrovia’s Mexican-Americans. This program is co-sponsored by the Museum, the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group, the Monrovia-Duarte Black Alumni Association, and the Monrovia Latino Heritage Society. Everyone who comes to the presentation will receive a 12-page booklet with the same title.
